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From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Who's attacking whom?
Message-ID: <656@pucc-h>
Date: Thu, 12-Apr-84 02:50:31 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.656
Posted: Thu Apr 12 02:50:31 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Apr-84 08:02:20 EST
References: <548@pyuxn.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 38

Rich Rosen is correct in saying that I (and perhaps others) have missed the
fact that he is attacking, not Christianity, but all religion (isn't "debunk"
not too different from "attack"?).  It just happens that those in this group
who do believe strongly enough to respond all happen to be in the Christian
belief system; so that's what you end up with.  I will await Rich's promised
batch reply before discussing this "debunking" any further.

(It is, in a way, a shame that net.religion.jewish was created; apparently the
Jews who might have some good things to say to Rich have all moved over there.
I stopped reading that group when many of the first articles in it dealt with
finding good kosher restaurants on the East Coast [quite irrelevant to me in
Indiana], rather than with meaty, interesting questions about Judaism; I had
hoped to use that group to learn more about that religion.  Sigh....)

The Christian way, reduced to its essentials, IS the one true way.  It all
boils down to the question:  Do you submit to, and serve, God (and other
people -- see Matthew 25:31-46); or do you keep yourself for yourself?
Differences in doctrine, and PERHAPS (this is pure speculation) even radical
differences in belief systems, are of much less importance than that basic
choice to put your own advantage (in the earthly sense) last or to put it
first.  Of course, the thing that gives Christianity the advantage over
other religions (as far as my limited knowledge of other beliefs goes) is
that we are undergirded by the knowledge that we are loved, unconditionally,
no matter how much we rebel or how many mistakes we make ("God shows His
love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" -- Romans
5:8); and that we can apply for help to One who has Himself shared our
experience of the difficulty of submitting one's will to God (it was difficult
even for Jesus, per Gethsemane) but Who succeeded in doing it, so that He has
blazed the trail and enabled us to follow.  If you're going to try to be good
at all, you'll find that you "fall short of the mark" (literal translation of
the Greek word usually translated "sin") a LOT; you might as well follow the
belief which (or, correctly, the Person Who) promises you both love and help
when you fail, so that you need never despair.

-- 
-- Jeff Sargent
{allegra|ihnp4|decvax|harpo|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
One man's data are another man's garbage.